Movie Review: DJ Tillu

Siddhu Jonnalagadda has struck the right chords with Guntur Talkies, Krishna And His Leela. He is back to entertain youths with DJ Tillu. The film’s promos became a rage. Does the film live up to all the expectations? With no further delay, let’s check out.

What is it about?

Tilak alias DJ Tillu (Siddhu) hails from an ordinary below middle-class family with high aspirations. He is a rookie DJ who works for local functions. He meets beautiful singer Radhika (Neha Shetty) at a pub and it changes his life. Radhika gets embroiled into murder and DJ Tillu gets at the centre of the crime. What are the obstacles that come Tillu’s way? How he comes out of the whole mess forms the crux of the story.

Performances

DJ Tillu has a one-man show. It’s none other than Siddhu Jonnalagadda whose timing, dialogues, demeanour and body-language are perfectly in sync. Siddhu has done it all with ease and appears naturally. He looks like a boy-next-door. His Telangana accent and diction are flawless. Above all, he has a swag that swoons youth. Neha Shetty perfectly delivered what’s needed from her. She is an urban girl who has her priorities. After a while, Prince Cecil got a decently written role. He is okay in it. Tillu’s parents get noticed with their antics. Brahmaji has got a meaty role as Circle Inspector. Narra Srinivas, Fish Venkat are alright. All of its cast did a good job. Pragathi is a surprise element in the film who adds to the humour quotient.

Technicalities

Debutante director Vimal Krishna did a neat job in writing and direction. He delivered a crime comedy with youthful elements. The treatment is what stands out in DJ Tillu. It is fresh, urbane and refreshing. Siddhu Jonnalagadda, besides playing the lead actor, co-written the story and screenplay along with Vimal. This helped him to breathe life into the character of Tillu. Thaman’s music and background score worked well. Despite some lag here and there, overall, the film is crisp. The film’s run-time is its advantage.

Thumbs Up

Siddhu Jonnalagadda
Laugh Riot Dialogues
Racy Screenplay

Thumbs Down

Lag at portions
Hero-Heroine Love Track
Second Half
Over-the-top comedy

Analysis

Right from the word go, DJ Tillu attempts to be hilarious. In fact, it does work most of the time. There is rib-tickling comedy throughout. Thanks to Siddhu Jonnalagadda who pulled off the film on his shoulders. Debutante director Vimal Krishna along with Siddhu made DJ Tillu an engaging crime comedy. Despite all this, Tillu works only partially. The film has no unique story. On surface, it has very ordinary story of a murder mystery where the culprits try to avoid police and other parties. But what separates it from the ordinary films is its fresh treatment. Comedy The racy screenplay is an icing on the cake.

But the film has its own shortcomings. There is lag at some portions. How the girl Radhika falls for the guy Tillu is not convincing enough. The makers took their share of cinematic liberties. Those are passable. Also, the comedy becomes loud and goes overboard at times. Barring these, DJ Tillu delivers what is expected from it. Good thing is that there are no clichés. Hero’s friends won’t try to eat the screen time to generate fun. It is the protagonist who fills the space of comedy. His character sketch in the film is maintained well thoroughly. The hero suspecting heroine is one of the biggest fun generating things in the film. The investigation process goes haywire. The court-room scenes are funny and there is a twist that lifts up the second-half which goes on predictable note till then.

It follows the thread of Jathi Ratnalu that became a huge success after the first wave of Covid pandemic. DJ Tillu attempts this space of comedy after the recent wave of Covid pandemic. Tillu largely caters to audiences in single screens. The film is expected to have good reception in B & C centres. Also, it is a good watch for dates this Valentines Day. But family audiences may not be comfortable with some bold dialogues and scenes. On the whole, Tillu is a fun ride with bumps here and there.

Bottom-line: Fun Ride!

Rating: 2.75/5